Our Teachers

Eliza McCarthy

Eliza McCarthy is a London based pianist who spends her time playing new and experimental music.

Winner of the 2013 British Contemporary Piano Competition, she performs in concert halls, art galleries, living rooms and dark trendy bars as a soloist and band member.

She has had the great pleasure of working with composers including John Adams, George Crumb, Cassandra Miller, Tansy Davies and Andrew Hamilton, and is currently collaborating with Mica Levi (Micachu and the Shapes) on an ever-growing series of solo piano works.

As an ensemble member she can be heard performing ‘Unclassifiable, raw nerve music’ (The Guardian) with Decibel. Based in Birmingham, Decibel spearhead works by artistic director Ed Bennett, and collaborate regularly with Joe Cutler, Howard Skempton, and Laurence Crane.

She also performs and writes with Jetsam who have released several albums of original material on London based labels WW Records and Clay Pipe Music.

Eliza has worked extensively in theatre devising productions that integrate acting and music and is most proud of her work composing music for ‘Think Only This of Me’ with Julian Philips and director Christian Burgess.

Alongside her life as a musician, Eliza teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to help performers engage with fear, anxiety and depression at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.